Chapter 137
U the silence hang for a moment, then nodded. “Set it up I’ll go.”
+25 BONUS
They chose a neutral site. An old roadside motel two towns over–the kind of place where the front desk clerk didn’t ask questions, and the walls were thin enough to bear secrets bleed through
The stucco exterior was cracked and sun–bleached, a dying yine curling around the porch railing like it had given up halfway. Inside, the carpet reeked faintly of mildew and bleach. A single overhead light in the lobby flickered like a nervous tic, buzzing just enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.
I was led to Room 3. Standard layout. Bed shoved up against water–stained wall, faded floral comforter, and a table that looked like it might collapse if you leaned too hard. A dusty mirror above the dresser reflected nothing useful–just me, arans crossed, waiting
1 sat on the edge of the bed, foot tapping in rhythm with the hum of the light above.
I hated meetings like this. The silence before them. The knowing too little. The not knowing at all.
My guys
had said this new contact wanted to remain anonymous until the last second. That they’d sent someone with influence.” Someone who didn’t want their name spoken aloud.
I rolled my shoulders back, exhaled through my nose. Whatever they were trying to hide wouldn’t stay hidden long. Not from me.
The doorknob turned.
The hinges gave a long, drawn–out creak that cut through the stale air like a blade.
And then–he stepped inside.
I froze. Every nerve in my body stilled like a held breath
He did the same
Our eyes locked.
And in that instant, the years peeled away, like the forest had folded in on itself and dropped us back into that clearing again–two wolves caught in fate’s cruel snare.
His breath hitched–just slightly. His posture shifted. He hadn’t expected me either.
I rose slowly, my muscles tight with old memory. My voice came out smooth and bitter, thick with venom and something dangerously close to amusement.
“Well,” I said. “This is certainly a surprise.”
“No kidding,” he said, his jaw tight. “Maggie.”
just my name. No title. No apology.
We stared at each other, the space between us taut and electric. The same distance as the day we first scented each other in the woods. But that moment had been filled with awe. This one–this one was filled with knives.
My smile came slow and sharp. “Curious, isn’t it? How we keep finding each other. Even after you rejected our bond.”
Chapter 137
His eyes darkened. Just a flicker. But I caught it.
stepped forward. Not far. Just enough.
Enough for him to scent me clearly.
Enough to make the memory crawl back up from wherever he’d buried it.
The r
recognition in his eyes didn’t vanish. He didn’t look away. But he didn’t come closer either.
Coward
+25 BONUS
“You’re the last person I expected to bankroll a rogue faction,” I said, letting my tone cool with each syllable. ” And yet… here you are.”
He didn’t speak.
Just watched me with that same careful intensity he always had–like I was a loaded weapon, or a secret he hadn’t decided how to keep yet.
But I saw the questions in his eyes. The caution. The guilt, maybe.
And something else.
Something more dangerous.
Curiosity.
“Why?” I asked, voice low now. “You have a pack. Power. Influence. A place at the table. So what are you doing here?”
Still no answer.
Just that unreadable expression of his. That maddening calm. I used to think it was strength.
Now I knew better.
I folded my arms again. “No speeches? No carefully rehearsed pitch?”
He stayed silent.
It occurred to me, then, that he might not have come here to offer anything at all.
He might have come to see.
To feel out my position. To measure the threat.
He looked different now. Older. Sharper. Like the years had etched more into him than power and duty. He still carried himself like a leader. Like someone used to being obeyed.
But he had come here.
To me.
Which meant he wasn’t as certain as he wanted to be.
Which meant this game?
It was just getting started.
Chapter 139
Chapter 138
